Chapter 2

"Draco!" Narcissa called-Draco still hadn't come down for dinner. He was probably reading his school books; he always drowned out the rest of the world when he read. "Draco! It's time for dinner, come on!"

Finally her son appeared at the top of the stairs. He didn't seem as excited as he had been earlier, in fact, he looked downright depressed. He came down the stairs quietly, passed her and went into the kitchen. Taking his seat in absolute silence. Narcissa followed him in and shot Sirius a worried look.

Sirius frowned at Draco's sudden subdued mood. "Draco? Is something wrong?" he asked.

Draco shook his head and started picking at his dinner.

Dinner was strained, there was discontent among the family, everyone felt it. Harry did try to liven things up by starting another bickering session, but Draco didn't even look up. Finally he just put down his knife and fork and pushed his chair back.

"I'm not hungry." He said and left the room.

"I'll go talk to him." Narcissa said, getting up and following him out. Sirius watched her leave, worried.

"Draco? Sweetie?" Narcissa said, pushing open the door to his room. "Is this about school again?" she asked.

Draco shook his head. "I'm just not hungry mum." He told her flatly, pushing the book he'd been trying to read away from him.

"Sweetie, you're never just not hungry. The last time was because of school. Now tell me, ok." Narcissa said, coming to sit on the bed beside him.

"I heard you earlier-you and dad." He said after a moment's silence.

"Heard what?" she asked.

"That your pregnant." He said.

She smiled. "Sweetie, just because I might be pregnant is no reason to not eat. Are you afraid we'll stop loving you if we have another baby?" she asked.

Draco shook his head. "No, I'm not afraid you'll stop loving me."

"Then what?"

Draco looked at the ground and sniffed. "I'm afraid you never did." He confessed.

Narcissa was stunned. "What? Baby, no, of course we love you. You're our son-"

"But I'm not!" Draco interrupted. "I heard dad say 'one of our very own' that means I'm not-that means that he's not my dad, and that means he doesn't love me!"

"Baby, you know that's not true. Your dad loves you more than anything." Narcissa said, stroking Draco's blond hair.

"But what if he doesn't? What if he's just pretending?" Draco asked.

"He wouldn't pretend something like that sweetheart. I promise you he wouldn't." she saw Draco stiffen, letting her know that Sirius had just appeared at the door, and had probably heard most of the previous conversation.

"Cissy, could you let me talk to Draco for a moment?" Sirius asked, concerned at just how badly Draco had taken his earlier comment to heart. Narcissa nodded and left the room, with a reassuring smile for Draco. When she had left Sirius closed the door and took Narcissa's place on the bed.

Draco was staring at a patch on the quilt, trying not to give away his scattered emotions.

"Draco." Sirius said softly. "Draco, look at me please."

Draco finally looked up, with an effort.

"Do you really think I could pretend to love you?" Sirius asked him. "Do you really think I would let you get away with all the little things I let you get away with if I didn't love you-that I'd pay those extra twelve galleons for those three books you really didn't need?"

Draco blushed at that and shrugged.

"Draco, if I didn't love you, believe me you'd know it-I'm not good at hiding my emotions."

"But… but you said… and you were so excited… I…" Draco looked away, thoroughly confused.

"Yes, I'm excited at the idea of a new baby-yes, I'm excited that the baby will be mine-my own blood, but I was just as excited about you. Even if I'm not your blood father I think I have more of a claim to you than he does. And just because the baby's mine-it doesn't mean I'd love you any less." He pulled the still stiff body into a hug. "You and Harry mean the world to me Draco-and I'd do anything for you, ok?" he asked, pulling back.

Draco nodded, rubbing a hand in his eyes to get rid of any tears that may have appeared.

"Good." Sirius smiled. "Now come on kiddo-your mums getting out the chocolate cake if my nose is telling the truth-and if you play your cards right you might just get the biggest piece."

Draco smiled and sniffed. "Thanks dad." He said.

"No problem. Just don't forget it, ok?"

"Ok."

"Right then-lets go get us some cake-oh-and ice-cream-aren't we just the lucky ones!" Sirius smiled, his nose twitching.

Disaster averted the last two weeks of August passed, and it was quickly the 1st of September and the Black household was in an uproar. Clothes, robes, books, various pieces of parchment and quills were lying everywhere. Trunks were only half packed, and it was nearly time to go to the station for the Hogwarts express.

"Dad-I can't find Fuzzball-have you seen him?" Draco asked, coming into the kitchen, frowning and looking under the table.

"I think I saw him in the living room-have a look there." Sirius said, trying to finish making the boys their packed lunches.

"Harry! Draco! Did you remember to pack your underwear?" Narcissa called from upstairs, where she was trying to make some semblance of order in the chaos that was Harry's room.

"Yes mum!" Draco called back, kneeling on the floor in the living room and peeking under the chair for his cat.

"Harry?" Narcissa called.

Harry came skidding into the kitchen, smiling disarmingly at Sirius and began to edge his way out of the kitchen, broom handle sticking just over the top of his head. "Coming mum!" he called back.

"Leave the broom right here Harry!" Sirius called after him.

"Damn!" Harry said, dropping the broom on the stairs.

"Language Harry!" Narcissa told him sternly.

"Sorry mum."

"Right, did you pack your underwear?"

"Yes mum."

"And your socks?"

"Yes mum."

"And your school tie?"

"Damn!"

"Harry!"

"Sorry mum."

"Fuzzball!" Draco yelled, coming back into the kitchen. "Dad, I can't find him at all! Help me look for him please. I don't want to leave him behind!"

"Ok, ok-two seconds Draco!" Sirius said, shoving the last sandwich in a little bag. "Right-where is the little flea circus?"

"Dad!" Draco scolded.

"Right, right."

"Draco! Have you seen my Quiddich book?" Harry yelled from upstairs.

"No! Why would I have seen your stupid book?" Draco yelled back.

"You're always taking it!"

"I am not! It's probably under your bed-with everything else!"

Harry quickly rummaged under the bed and found it. "Got it! Thanks Draco!"

Draco rolled his eyes and kept looking for his cat.

Two hours later everything was almost ready-the trunks were packed, lunches made-the only thing wrong was that Draco still couldn't find his cat. So everyone was now on a mission to find it. Though Harry did suggest they leave it behind, and when it turned up have it posted to Hogwarts. That had started a fight.

But the cat was finally found, amidst must cursing

"Who left a broom on the stairs?"

"Damn!"

"Harry!"

"Sorry mum!"

"Where are you, you stupid flea circus?"

"Dad!"

"Sorry, sorry."

"Found it!"

"Where? Oh damn!"

"Sirius-your suppose to set an example for the bo-you stupid little-"

"Mum!"

Curled up comfortably in the clothes that had once been neatly folded beside the washing machine, and were now scattered across the floor and covered in cat hair. Draco lifted him before his mother could go back for the broom Harry had left on the stairs and carried him outside quickly. The family was finally off to Kings cross station to catch the Hogwarts express.

They arrived just in time, the train was about to leave. Narcissa gave them both a kiss and told them to be good, giving them their wands she had kept for safe keeping. Sirius gave them a hug and told them to make him proud, with a wink. He of course expected them to make a lot of mischief.

Sirius and Narcissa ushered them onto the train and watched it leave, waving. When it was gone Sirius smiled. "I'd best get into work. Are you ok for getting home?"

"I'll be fine Siri. I just hope they haven't forgotten anything. I suppose I'll have to get back and clean up that mess that buggering cat left behind."

They kissed and parted Sirius apparating to work, and Narcissa home.

On the train Harry and Draco had found a compartment that had only a red headed boy in it. Harry pulled open the door. "Can we sit here?" he asked.

"Em… sure." The red head said, surprised.

"Great, come on Draco." Harry grinned, pulling his trunk in and shoving it up onto the rack before helping Draco with his. He sat opposite the red head. "Hi-I'm Harry Potter-Black, what's your name?"

The red head gaped. "Harry Potter?" he squeaked. "As in the Harry Potter?"

Harry nodded. He knew all about his fame-was still stopped sometimes by random people who wanted to shake his hand. He didn't much like it. He hoped this boy wouldn't be like all the other awe-struck people he'd met. "Yes-I'm him-but don't act like I'm anything special."

"But you're the Boy-who-lived!" the red head squeaked.

"He knows-we all know!" Draco said with a roll of his eyes and a smile at Harry.

"Who're you?" the red head asked, suspiciously.

"Draconis Black." Draco said.

That earned another, if slightly less awestruck look. Sirius Black was famous enough in his own right as an Auror.

"He's my brother." Harry said carelessly.

"Your brother?" the red head asked-frowning, trying to work out why two such famous boys would be sitting talking to him. "Sorry, I'm Ron Weasely by the way."

Harry smiled, and he and Ron quickly fell into talking-about families-with Draco adding the odd comment, then onto Quiddich, which took up nearly the whole train ride. Then there was the rather humorous explanation of football Harry and Draco gave Ron, using the crusts of their sandwiches as football players and the straws of their drinks as goal posts. Which only served to confuse Ron even more. They admitted defeat when they had nearly reached Hogsmade station and changed into their school uniforms.

"Fuzzball! Come down here right now!" Draco demanded.

The cat had made himself comfortable up on the luggage racks and refused to come down. Harry and Ron were laughing at his attempts to get him down.

"Your laughing's not helping!" he complained.

"Sorry Dray-but you sound like mum!" Harry laughed.

"Guys!" Draco said plaintively.

"Hello? What is going on in here! I'm a prefect! What are you lot doing still on the train-oh, Ron."

"Oh, hey Percy!" Ron said through a short burst of laughter. "Maybe you can get the cat down." He pointed upwards.

Percy looked over, and sighed, pushing his glasses up on his nose he pulled out his wand and levitated the cat down into Draco's waiting arms. "Right then you three, you'd better get out before Hagrid leaves without you." Percy told them. "I don't want to tell mum you missed your sorting, Ron." He ushered them off the train.

"Is that one of your brothers then?" Harry asked when they got off the train and Percy had moved away.

Ron nodded. "He got made prefect this year-he's always going on about it. Come on, we'd better find this Hagrid guy-Fred'n'George say he's over fifty feet tall!"

Hagrid was not hard to find, but not because he was over fifty feet high, because he most definitely wasn't, but because he was yelling for all 'Firs' years' to join him they were taken on a long walk, and a boat ride, all three were stunned when they saw Hogwarts for the first time.

"You know." Ron said nervously. "I hope the twins were lying when they said you have to fight a Troll to get in."

"I'm sure they were. They wouldn't make first years fight a troll? Would they Harry?" Draco asked, becoming suddenly as nervous as Ron. "I'm going to be thrown out-I'm not old enough to know how to fight a Troll!" he was on the verge of panicking, like he had when he had been told he would be the youngest student attending Hogwarts.

"None of the rest of us knows how to fight a troll either Draco, it has nothing to do with being younger than everyone else." Harry said, in his rarely used 'older brother' voice. He had know Draco would panic, Sirius had given him another talk the night before about making sure Draco didn't stress himself out too much over being over a year younger than everyone else.

"How old are you?" Ron asked, wondering suddenly.

"I'll be ten at Christmas." Draco answered.

"Bloody hell! How did you get in so early-my sister just turned ten there in August!" he cried, wide eyed.

Draco shrugged before he looked back at Harry. "You promise I won't have to fight a troll?"

"I promise." Harry said confidently, privately hoping he was right, or none of them would be getting into Hogwarts.